On 5 December Prince bin Turki al Faisal, speaking at the “The Gulf
and the Globe” conference in the Saudi capital Riyadh urged the
six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to become a powerful regional
bloc by establishing a unified armed force and defense structure.

While bin Turki’s call for the GCC to pool its military resources is
nothing new, his idea of supporting Gulf countries acquiring weapons of
mass destruction (WMDs) if Israel and Iran do not constrain their
nuclear programs represents the edge of a precipitously slippery slope.

Bin Turki told his audience, "Why shouldn't we commence the building
of a unified military force, with a clear chain of command. But, if our
efforts and the efforts of the world community fail to bring about the
dismantling of the Israeli arsenal of nuclear, chemical, and biological
weapons and preventing Iran from acquiring the same, then why shouldn't
we at least study seriously all available options, including acquiring
WMDs, so that our future generations will not blame us for neglecting
any courses of action that will keep looming dangers away from us."